


Cruel Summer

by just_another_tinker



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Grad Student Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Lifeguards, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28186761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_tinker/pseuds/just_another_tinker
Summary: “It must have been really worth it to get that burn,” Andy said, gesturing to his face. “What, was Joe wearing a new swimsuit?”“The burn isn’t that bad,” Nicky pouted, pointedly ignoring the comment about Joe. “I wouldn’t even classify it as a burn. I believe the word you’re looking for is sunkissed,” he replied.“You look like a tomato,” Quynh commented, popping a piece of gum in her mouth. Nicky sent her an icy glare.-----------------------------------------------------------Joe is a lifeguard and Nicky has a crush.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 398





	Cruel Summer

“Nicky, I thought we talked about this.” 

Nicky didn’t bother looking up from his computer, staring at the paper he was attempting to write. Key word being  _ attempting.  _ He had thought he had been much farther along, but the startlingly small page count laughed back up at him. 

“Nicky.” 

“Hm?” 

A strong grip pulled his gaze away from his screen. Andy’s fingers curled tightly into his skin, and Nicky winced. “Where were you Tuesday?” she questioned. 

“Out,” he answered simply. 

“I thought you were studying,” came another teasing remark. Nicky jerked out of Andy’s grip to look at the women sitting next to her. “At least that’s why you said you couldn’t come to lunch with us,” continued Quynh. 

“I  _ was _ studying,” Nicky frowned. 

“And pray tell, dear  Nicolò , where were you studying?” Andy’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “It wouldn’t have been at the pool again, was it?” 

Nicky felt his cheeks burn. “It was nice out,” he replied weakly. 

“Oh, Nicky,” Quynh giggled. “What are we going to do with you?” 

Nicky didn’t have a response for that. He’d been asking himself the same question for the past month. 

“It must have been really worth it to get that burn,” Andy said, gesturing to his face. “What, was Joe wearing a new swimsuit?” 

“The burn isn’t that bad,” Nicky pouted, pointedly ignoring the comment about Joe. “I wouldn’t even classify it as a burn. I believe the word you’re looking for is  _ sunkissed,”  _ he replied. 

“You look like a tomato,” Quynh commented, popping a piece of gum in her mouth. Nicky sent her an icy glare. 

“I am not at fault for the genes I have been given,” Nicky pouted. “My skin is just a bit more delicate.” 

_ “Fragile.”  _ More snickered laughter. 

“Stop changing the subject,” Andy responded, kicking at his feet from under the table. Someone shushed them from another table and Andy just flipped them the bird, her gaze never leaving Nicky’s. “Did you see Joe?” she asked, in a quieter tone. 

“He might have been working, I’m not sure,” Nicky shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t notice.” 

“That bad, huh?” Quynh asked, wearing a soft smile. At least she was sympathetic to his pain. “Which hat was he wearing?” she added knowingly. 

“The cheetah one,” he sighed, his face flopping against the keyboard. His nose smashed into the ‘J’ key, the letter typing itself repeatedly into his lacking paper. At least he’d be able to hit his page minimum, now. 

Quynh patted his arm comfortingly. “Awh, sweetie.” 

Nicky huffed, picking up his head to glare at the pair of them. It was, if anything, their fault that he was in this predicament in the first place. Summer had hit hard and fast this year, and with it promised an absolutely unbearable semester. On top of his own classes, Nicky had been saddled with a grueling teaching assistant position, the graveyard shift at a campus coffee house, and a shoebox apartment with no aircon. 

After snapping at Quynh for the fourth time that week, she’d grabbed Nicky by the arm and forced him on a  _ ‘lower your blood pressure before I put Andy on you’  _ adventure. And given that they didn’t own a vehicle or a full wallet between the three of them, their options were fairly limited. 

_ “Come to the pool with us,”  _ Quynh had said.  _ “It’ll be relaxing,”  _ she had said.

It was very much  _ not  _ relaxing. Because while Nicky had been prepared for a crowded, sweaty afternoon, no one had bothered to warn him about Joe. Joe, one of the local lifeguards at said pool, who looked to have been carved straight from Nicky’s wildest fantasies. 

Nicky had almost run straight into him when they’d arrived at the pool, and then had the  _ gall  _ to yell at him like Joe was the one at fault for being in his way, despite the fact that he was clearly on duty and had been walking to relieve another guard. 

Nicky hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off the other man for the rest of the time they were there, much to Andy and Quynh’s chagrin. Nicky had grumbled about him the entire way to his and Quynh’s shared flat, and much into the next day. Andy had made quite a few snide comments on his apparent infatuation and shared some knowing looks to Quynh. Nicky had been affronted by such an accusation, and told them that he would head back to the pool just to prove to them how little he cared about Joe and his little red swimsuit. 

Why he continued to go, and continued to go  _ alone _ , was anyone’s guess. And the guess was that Nicky was an idiot and now he was quite certain he was half in love with Joe and his little red swimsuit. 

He didn’t even  _ like  _ pools. Swimmingly, he loved, but not in the confines of a concrete bowl. Pools were nothing but cesspools of over-chlorinated air, grimy shower tiles, and screaming children. 

But he went anyway, his trip to the pool as ingrained in his schedule as his classes. Every Tuesday and Thursday, right after he got out of office hours. Where he could sit and question his life decisions as he watched Joe work. 

“When are you going to ask him out, Nicky?” Andy pressed. “You’re driving us all crazy.” 

“He’d never go out with me.” 

“How do you know if you’ve never asked?” 

Nicky clenched his jaw, standing suddenly. He snapped his laptop shut, gathering it and the rest of his books in his bag. 

“Are you going to see him again?” Quynh asked. 

“No, I’m going to office hours.”

“Yeah, and after office hours are you going to see him again?” 

Nicky sighed, cursing his friends in every way he could. He stomped out of the library to their horribly concealed laugher, refusing to respond. Because they all already knew the answer.

* * *

* * *

“Hey, Nicky!” 

Nicky smiled and waved to where the friendly voice called out from behind the counter, as he stepped through the door. Nile stood from her chair to greet him, her smile as perky as ever. Nicky reached for his wallet to take out his yearly pass - as  _ of course _ he’d had to get one once he realized that day passes we’re starting to get too expensive for his student budget - but Nile waved him off. “Come on, you’re basically a regular,” she said. “I know you’re a member.” 

Nicky knew she’d said it to be kind, but Nicky felt him biting his tongue.  _ A regular, huh?  _ Quynh and Andy were going to have a field day with him. He’d warded them off long enough, but Tuesday’s sunburn had them after him like a pair of bloodhounds. He was sure that he would hear about it later tonight; knowing the two of them, they were waiting gleefully at the door for Nicky to return to mock Nicky’s heartsick pain. 

“It’s another beautiful day,” Nicky said idly. 

“And cloudier,” Nile giggled, nodding towards Nicky. “Please promise me you brought sunblock this time.” 

Nicky patted his backpack. “Extra strength,” he smiled back. 

“Good,” she grinned. “Well, go on through, you already know the drill.” Nicky nodded, heading towards the men’s locker room. “Enjoy your book!” Nile called out, and Nicky waved goodbye. 

He walked through the locker room quickly, as he didn't need to change. He had started bringing a pair of shorts with him to his office hours, switching into them there before heading straight to the pool. Part of it was to avoid questions for Quynh, but also to avoid the public changing room in any capacity. Instead, he skirted right past the showers and rows of lockers, towards the door in the back. 

Joe wasn’t the one sitting in the chair when he stepped onto the deck. His coworker, Booker, was. Nicky wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing, or if it was worse. Nicky would be disappointed if Joe wasn’t working today, and he’d be stuck in this purgatory for no reason. He couldn’t exactly just turn around and leave if Joe was off duty, of course; people had already seen him, and he didn’t want to deal with Nile’s knowing smirk today. 

He supposed there should have been some silver lining in Joe not being in the chair, considering how distracting he was. Joe never sat. He  _ sprawled.  _ He lounged in the towering chair like it was a throne. Leaning to one side, resting his weight on a toned arm. His legs wide open, one dangling off the footrest that swayed constantly to an unknown beat, the other hooked around the opposite arm rest. His defined abs  _ just  _ covered by his rescue tube. 

But the worst was when Joe wasn’t in the chair and he was still on duty. Because if he wasn’t in the chair, that meant that he was on the deck. Strolling along the perimeter of the pool like it was his personal runway. His tube cradled in a firm grip, the fabric of his swimsuit pulled taut with each step. 

He took his sweet time walking around the deck. He had, it seemed, personalized handshakes for each of the children that came charging up to him. He nodded to some of the regulars, and even made polite conversation with the gaggle of middle aged -  _ and married,  _ Nicky thought viciously - women that flirted with him under a covered canopy. His voice was as smooth as silk and his laugh was like a burst of joyous chimes dancing in the summer breeze. Nicky hated him. 

Lo and behold, he could make out Joe’s familiar form on the other side of the pool. Nicky changed course immediately, choosing a spot on the deck that Joe had just passed, delaying the inevitable disaster that would befall him. The moment when Joe would walk past him and Nicky would be taunted by the defined lines of Joe’s back and the bright red pack that bounced on the swell of Joe’s ass with each step he took.  _ Unbelievable,  _ _ Nicolò _ _ ,  _ he chastised himself.  _ Jealous of a bumbag.  _

He sat his bag down on the ground, unzipping the backpack to take his towel out and spread it out on the ground. As he promised Nile, he did pack extra strength sunblock, but he’d already lathered himself in a thick covering before heading to the pool so he wouldn’t have to potentially embarrass himself in front of Joe. Instead, Nicky folded his legs under him as he sat down, pulling his book out and opened it before he had another inkling to check where Joe was. 

Nicky made a point to always keep his nose in his book when Joe walked in front of his spot. One time, he was feeling particularly brave and tried to peek another glance. To his horror, Joe had been looking right back at him. Well, Nicky didn’t know that  _ for sure,  _ as Joe had been wearing his patented sunglasses and backwards cap combo, his whistle sandwiched in the corner of his perfect lips. But Joe had clearly been looking in his general direction, and that was enough to practically paralyze Nicky. He ripped his gaze away from Joe as quickly as he could, hoping that this sunburn would at least cover his blush. 

Nicky bit his tongue, looking down at his book. He wasn’t sure why he even bothered bringing it; he was rarely able to focus long enough to get any sort of substantial reading done. But it wasn’t like he had anything else he could do. He’d brought some papers to grade once, and he’d ended up using half of his red pen’s ink in one sitting. Even the class’s professor had commented on his harsher grading.  _ Note to self: do not grade papers while sexually frustrated.  _

The words on the page already seemed to blur and Nicky sighed. He cast his gaze around the pool, taking in the familiar scene. The school of sharks that hung out under the canopy were already there, practically leering at Joe and Booker. Their kids - the ones they’d probably convinced themselves that they were there for - were buzzing around the deck, hopping in and out of the water at lightspeed. A few of them paused long enough to wave at Nicky, and he waved right back, smiling at the screaming gremlins that were terrorizing the pool. 

The water looked extra inviting today, but Nicky wouldn’t go in. To this day, he’d still yet to actually get in the water. There was an area where he could swim some laps if he wanted. Part of him did want to, wondering if Joe’s watchful gaze would fall on him as he sliced through the water. The other part that was petrified of that fact, well, was obviously winning, as Nicky continued to be rooted to the deck. 

Another screech rang through the air, and Nicky looked back over to the gaggle of children splashing in the water. He was glad that he did, because otherwise he would have missed another mass floating just below the surface, farther out by itself. Nicky frowned, looking closer. The shape was small, obviously a child. Even at the distance he was sitting at, he could see the limbs that were thrashing about, and the water around the blob began to swell. Nicky saw a bright flash of orange, the same traffic cone colored suit that he’d seen ever since he’d started coming here.  _ Eddie.  _

Nicky didn’t think twice before he was jumping to his feet and diving straight into the water. The water was cold and he sunk quickly, his clothes weighing down on him like molasses. Nicky pushed off from the pool floor, taking two strong strokes over to where Eddie was still flailing. His eyes burned from the chemicals but Nicky ignored it, reaching an arm out to grab the child’s arm. He started to pull Eddie towards him before he was quite literally slammed out of the way. 

Another body collided with his, Nicky’s head smacking against a hard surface. Pain burst in his temple, and Nicky let out a groan, the sound distorted in the water. He felt movement in the water around him and he could barely make out another body that was wrestling with his and Eddie’s. Nicky reached his hand out again but they were already gone, pushing towards air, and Nicky followed. 

Nicky gasped as he broke the surface, trying to blink the water from his eyes, his ears still ringing. He could hear people shouting around him, but Nicky could only focus on Eddie. Eddie, who was cradled in Joe’s arm, Joe staring at Nicky with an incredulous expression, his other hand rubbing at the side of his head. 

_ Great, just great,  _ Nicky thought despondently. As if he needed another way to embarrass himself in front of Joe. This settled it; he couldn’t come back to the pool. Not after this.

Joe blinked at him, his mouth gaping open. 

“You okay?” Nicky asked, voice hoarse. 

“I’m fine!” Eddie chirped and Nicky startled, realizing that he’d been asking Joe instead of the kid that had  _ almost literally drowned.  _

“Oh, that’s good,” he smiled, hoping Joe wouldn’t have noticed. 

“What were you doing by the deep end?” Nicky shivered at Joe’s warm tone. He was looking down at Eddie with a worried expression. 

“I was trying to reach the bottom. I was treasure hunting,” Eddied explained, almost exasperated to have been asked in the first place. 

“Without your floaties?” Joe asked, one eyebrow raised. “I thought we promised to keep them on.” 

Eddie looked vaguely chastised at that. “They’re stupid,” he muttered softly. “Only losers wear floaties, and I want to be cool. You don’t wear any!” 

Joe opened his mouth to respond, but it was Nicky who cut him off. “The dinosaur ones?” 

Eddie nodded. “I don’t know,” Nicky shrugged. “I thought they were pretty cool. I was actually kind of jealous that I didn’t have a pair of my own.” 

Nicky looked over at Joe. He was staring right back at him with a look Nicky couldn’t quite distinguish, his eyes blazing. Was he surprised that Nicky knew about the floaties? Honestly, Nicky was surprised that he knew himself. Or the fact that he even knew Eddie’s name. He really had been going to the pool too often. 

“You see?” Joe said. “Nicky thinks they’re cool, and you know that he has to be right.” 

Eddie nodded fervently. “He’s always reading, so he must be really smart.” 

“My thoughts exactly,” Joe said with a wink, but Nicky was too busy combusting.  _ Nicky.  _ Joe had said Nicky. Joe knew his name.  _ Joe knew his name.  _ Nicky suddenly wished to sink below the surface and drown himself, knowing he’d never be able to hear his name the same way again. 

“Joe!” a voice called. “Everything good?” 

Nicky turned to follow the voice, seeing Nile and Booker standing at the pool’s edge, along with a small crowd of bystanders that had accumulated.  _ Oh God,  _ Nicky thought, shrinking further down in the water. Maybe there was still a chance he’d be struck by lightning or something. 

“We’re good, everything’s fine,” Joe answered, mainly for the crowd. 

“Eddie!” a shrill voice cried. 

“He’s alright, Mrs. Rawlings,” Joe replied, stepping back over towards the pool's edge, and over to the crying woman. 

“I’m fine, Mom,” Eddie added, hopping out of Joe’s arms into hers. “I was looking for treasure, is all!” 

“Oh, Joe,” Mrs. Rawlings moaned, her hand not clutching her son grabbing Joe around his arm. Nicky could see her heavily jeweled fingers digging into Joe’s skin. She looked about ready to throw herself into the pool with the heated stare she was sending Joe. “I’m so glad that you were here! How can I ever thank you?” 

“Just doing my job,” Joe chuckled. “And besides, it was more of a team effort.” 

He turned back to look at Nicky, flashing him a megawatt smile that was so blinding that Nicky actually wondered if the lightning had come. But the smile was gone in an instant, Joe paling.  _ Please tell me I did not say that out loud,  _ Nicky thought. 

“You’re bleeding,” Joe said, pushing back through the water and over to Nicky.

“Huh?” Nicky asked dumbly, too focused on the way Joe’s hands were cupping his chin. His touch was fire on Nicky’s skin. One of Joe’s hands traveled farther up and deliriously, Nicky thought that Joe would thread his fingers through his hair as he had in plenty of Nicky’s dreams. But he didn’t. Instead, he prodded gently at the side of Nicky’s head, and Nicky winced, the dull throb he’d been ignoring making itself known again. 

Joe hissed and looked at him with sad eyes. “We need to get this cleaned up,” he said. “I’ve got a full first aid kit in the office. Can you walk still?” 

Nicky nodded numbly, letting Joe guide him over to the edge of the pool. Joe hopped out quickly and helped Nicky out himself and walked him back to the office with a shout to Booker to check in on Eddie again, his hand pressed firmly on the small of Nicky’s back. 

The walk to the office was silent, and Nicky was barely in the door before Joe was pushing him gently into a chair. He muttered to Nicky about getting the first aid kit and Nicky waved him off. He tugged at his skirt, now plastered to his skin, and Nicky frowned in distaste. Before he could think better of it, he was pulling it over his shoulders and onto the ground in front of him. 

Joe walked back in the room from the supply closet, and both men froze. Nicky couldn’t miss the way Joe’s gaze darted down to stare at his chest. Probably looking at his normal paleness and the farmers burn he was currently rocking. He saw Joe swallow and walk the first aid kit over to the desk slowly, as if he Nicky were a frightened animal. He wasn’t exactly wrong. “Do you want another shirt?” Joe asked softly. 

“Um, no, that’s alright, I — ”

But Joe was already zooming across the room, presenting Nicky with a dry shirt that had been thrown over the back of one of the other chairs. “Here,” Joe said, pressing it into Nicky’s hands. “Please.” 

Helpless to resist, Nicky slipped the shirt on slowly. It was warm and soft, and smelled of fresh spices. When he looked back up at Joe, it was to him giving Nicky a heated stare. Nicky squirmed in his seat. 

Joe blinked suddenly, springing back into action and opening the first aid kit. He grabbed some gauze and dabbed some alcohol on it before stepped over to Nicky, settling right between his open legs. Nicky could practically feel the heat coming from Joe’s skin; his fingers grabbed the edge of his shorts to stop him from doing something stupid. 

“I’m sorry if this stings,” Joe murmured, pressing the gauze against his temple. Nicky sucked in a sharp breath as the first touch did sting, but he bit his lip hard to stop him from moving so he could feel Joe’s touch against his head. It was gentle, but firm, and Nicky wondered what it would feel like to be held fully in Joe’s arms. 

“Nicky?” 

Nicky blinked slowly, not realizing his eyes had been slipping shut, too buzzed on the feeling of being surrounded by Joe. “I’m sorry?” 

“I asked how you were feeling.” Joe gave him a worried look. 

“I feel fine,” Nicky answered. “My head doesn’t hurt too bad.” 

Joe looked skeptical. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by another voice. 

“Hey, you alright?” Nile popped her head through the office door. She took a quick look of Nicky as she stepped in, and Nicky noticed that she had his backpack slung over her shoulder. He smiled in gratitude as she placed it down by his feet. 

Nicky nodded in response to her question, or at least tried too before his head pounded again. He shot Nile a thumbs up, just in case. By the way she frowned, it didn’t seem to be convincing. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” she continued, arms crossing. 

“No, no,” Nicky replied. “It’s just a headache.” 

“It could be a concussion,” Joe added with a frown. 

“I’ll be fine. Really.” 

“If you say so.” Joe dabbed at Nicky’s forehead with the gauze again. “Well, there’s definitely a bump there, but the bleeding already stopped. Just a small surface cut.” He flashed another smile Nicky’s way, and now Nicky didn’t need to eat for a week. “Just to be safe,” he added, waving a packet of band aids in his grip. “I’ve got the boring ones, princess ones, some frog ones that are definitely too phallic to be on a kids band aid, and,  _ oh!  _ Would you look at that? I’ve got a dinosaur one.” 

Nicky chuckled. “It would be fairly hypocritical of me not to go with the dinosaurs. They are pretty cool, after all.” 

“So I’ve heard,” Joe murmured. His touch was still soft as he pressed the band aid to his skin. 

“Mrs. Rawlings is looking for you,” Nile said to Joe, and Nicky caught Joe’s grimace, his soothing touch leaving as he crossed his arms, much to Nicky’s dismay. 

“Is she?” Joe deadpanned. 

“Don’t worry, I told her you were busy.” 

“As always, Nile, you’re a lifesaver.” 

“Don’t thank me, thank Nicky. He’s the only reason I haven’t fed you to the sharks. I don’t want to deal with her either.” 

Joe winked at Nicky. “It seems that you aren’t quite done saving people today.” 

“I hardly think I was much help either time,” Nicky frowned. 

“I’ll agree to disagree,” Joe replied. His eyes twinkled with mirth, and Nicky had to remind himself to breathe. 

“This is just tragic to watch,” Nile sighed. “Joe, I’m covering you for the rest of the day. Please take that as a not-so subtle hint for you to get your head out of your ass and do something.” She turned to look at Nicky. “And Nicky, I am banning you from the pool from the rest of the day, for reasons yet to be determined. Please take this as a not-so subtle hint to get your head out of you ass and do something.” 

She stomped over to the door and peered over her shoulder a final time, pointing two fingers at her eyes before flicking them in the direction of Nicky and Joe. “I don’t want to see either of you until you get this mess cleaned up. Ok? Ok.” With that, Nile darted back out to the pool, her voice already calling out for Booker. 

“She’s terrifying when she was to be,” Nicky commented, eyes still on the door. 

Joe chuckled and moved away from him. It was then that Nicky realized that Joe had stayed pressed against his side since placing the band aid. “You have no idea,” came Joe’s response. 

“I thought about inviting her to meet some friends of mine, but now I’m not too sure,” said Nicky. “I’m not sure the world would ever recover.” 

Joe snorted, and Nicky wished he could bottle the sound. Quiet filled the room, broken only by the ticking of a clock on the wall. 

“Uh, I’m really sorry about your head,” Joe said, breaking the silence. 

“It’s alright,” Nicky replied. “If anything I should be apologizing for getting in your way. You were just doing your job.” He grimaced, wishing for the thousandth time that he’d just gone home. 

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Joe smiled. “I mean, I’m not glad that you got hurt!” he corrected. “I just meant that....well, most people would have just stood by and watched. Most people  _ did,”  _ he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “But you didn’t. It was… kind. You’re always very kind,” Joe added, softly. “I’ve seen you talk with the kids, or toss their ball back to them when they throw it out of the pool. I know you’ve helped Nile a few times. You even sit and listen politely to Mr. Goodwin, and I know how long he can talk.” He paused, huffing out a low chuckle. “Smooth, Joe. Real smooth,” he said under his breath. 

Nicky felt his ears burning, trying not to comment on Joe’s last statement, or on how much he’d apparently noticed about Nicky. “You listen too,” he said, giving Joe a soft look. “To Mr. Goodwin. And you play with the kids, when you can. It’s very sweet.” 

Joe beamed at him with that smile of his, and then suddenly, Nicky didn’t quite care anymore. He dutifully ignored the terrified thoughts in his brain and opened his mouth. “Um, seeing as I’m banned from the pool for the time being, I was thinking about getting a coffee. Would you like to join me ? ”

“No!” Joe practically shouted, and Nicky cringed. 

“Oh,” he replied, words turning to ash in his mouth. “Of course, I’m sorry if I — ”

“No,” Joe said again, hands coming up to block Nicky from stepping around him. “No, that’s not -  _ shit -  _ I’m not…,” Joe broke off with a sigh. “I just meant that you probably shouldn’t have caffeine right now,” Joe continued with a nervous smile, pointing to Nicky’s head. “You still might have a concussion.” 

“Oh.  _ Oh.”  _ Nicky chuckled awkwardly, wringing his hands together. That was...probably smart. 

“But I wasn’t saying no to, um, going out with you,” Joe continued, rocking back on his heels. “I would very much like to go out with you. Maybe we could get some gelato instead?” 

Nicky’s heart roared in his chest. “Gelato would be nice,” he replied softly. 

“Great!” Joe jogged over to the wall of lockers, opening one up to grab his belongings, slipping a pair of shorts over his suit, shoving his wallet and phone into his pockets hastily. He grabbed another shirt that had been balled up in the bottom of the locker. It was then that Nicky realized that he was currently wearing the shirt Joe’s, the one he must have worn to work. Nicky blushed fiercely, rubbing the soft material of the shirt between his fingers. Joe threw the other shirt on quickly, chucking his hat back on before turning back to face Nicky. 

He smiled at Nicky again, his teeth biting into his lower lip nervously. Nicky wanted to lick it. Maybe he’d get too, later. Joe would probably taste great after gelato. “Ready?” Joe asked, extending his hand towards Nicky. 

Nicky closed the distance and threaded their fingers together. “Ready,” he grinned. 

**Author's Note:**

> Joe, retelling the story of how they met for the billionth time: “It was love at first head bonk!” 
> 
> Will Joe and Nicky absolutely bang it out at some point in the pool’s storage closet? Absolutely. Should I write it? Let me know below. :)


End file.
